Tie handling equipment for use in conjunction with ballast handling devices used under railroad tracks



J y 1961 J. w. CHRISTOFF ET AL 2,990,787

TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BALLAST HANDLINGDEVICES USED UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Filed Nov. 4, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Wm, www

y 1961 J. w. CHRISTOFF ETAL 2,990,787

TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BALLAST HANDLINGDEVICES USED UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Filed Nov. 4, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2July 4, 1961 J. w. CHRISTOFF ET AL 2, 9

TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BALLAST HANDLINGDEVICES USED UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Filed Nov. 4, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 nEE l/ INVEA/ TOPS wwmww ATTORNEY-5' J ly 4, 1 61 J. w. CHRISTOFF ETAL2,990,787

TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BALLAST HANDLINGDEVICES USED UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Filed Nov. 4, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4July 4, 1961 J. w. CHRISTOFF ET AL 2,990,787

TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BALLAST HANDLINGDEVICES USED UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Filed NOV- 4, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Vw W m MM m M #4. W

United StawSP Cm 9 F James W. Christoft, Minneapolis, and Richard A.'Peppin,

Hopkins, Minn., assignors to Mannix Co. Ltd.-, Calgary Alberta, Canada IFiled Nov. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 850,793 v 11 Claims. (Cl.-1ll47) "Thisinvention relates totie handling equipment-for use ballast plow types.

Ballast plows are employed for removing fouled ballast from a railroadroadbed. A plow is inserted between the roadbed and the ties to whichthe track rails are secured and is then towed along the track inthisposition by a locomotive. As the plow progresses, it raises the tiesfrom the roadbedahead of it, supports the ties and the rails securedthereto, as the device passes underneath, and

2,990,787 Patented July 4, 1961 track devices of both the ballast plowand ballast sled type designed to pick up such loose ties and carrythemalong the upper runners of the under-track device together with theremainder of the ties which are properly secured to the rails. Suchunder-track devices deal with the problem of handling loose ties inadvance of the under-track device and normally avoid any need to stopthe under-track device for removal of a loose tie in advance of theundertra ckdevice. However, they serve only to move the loose tie up'onto the top of theunder-track device, with the rema-inder of thetrack. It will normally be desirable to re with under-track devices ofthe vso-called ballast sled and place such loose tie (the timber ofwhich will likely. have deteriorated) by a new tie, for which purpose itis first necessary to remove the loose tie to the side of the track.

The present invention is primarily concerned with the provision of a tieejector mechanism for accomplishing finally allows the ties and rails.to settle back onto the roadbed or sub-gradeibeneath the device. Theweight of the ties and rails supported by the plow is considerable andthe plow is therefore pressed firmly down against the ballast. Byproviding the plow with one or more scraper blades it is possible toseparate a layer of ballast of chosen depth anddisp-lace this ballast tothe side or sides of the track beyondthe ends of the ties; so that whenthe ties re-settle, this displaced ballast can be readily removed.Ballast sled devices are similar to ballast plows in that they'areinsertedbetween the roadbed and the ties and are towed along in thisposition by a locomotive. Sleds, however, are used either during thelaying down of new tracks or to perform a reballasting operationfollowing the pulling of a ballast plow in the manner just described.After the plow has removed the fouled ballast, or, in the case of a newtrack laid directly on the sub-grade, after the track has been so laid,fresh clean ballast is dumped onto the track to lie on top of the tiesand rails. The function of the sled is to raise the ties up to theirdesired level and distribute theballast evenly beneath them.Subsequently additional ballast will normally be dumped on the trackbetween each pair of adjacent ties, this latter operation usually beingcarried out manually, since it does not require raising of the track.

There is much in common between the basic structure of a ballast plowand a ballast sled, the difierence being that the ballast handling meansof the plow is at least one scraper blade for deflecting ballast,whereas that of the sled is at least one levelling blade for smoothingout ballast. In other respects these two devices function in a verysimilar manner, each being required to move along the roadbed whilelifting and supporting a sectionof track. Both devices consist of agenerally flat framework of rigid construction, this framework includingupper runner means for slidingly and supportingly engaging the ties,

this end.

M The invention is also concerned with a tie removal mechanism formounting on an under-track device to travel, therewith, such mechanismcomprising a power operated hammer positioned to engage a tie of theelevated section of track rearwardly of the under-track device to forcesuch tie out of engagement with one or both rails. Such a tie removalmechanism is adapted for, use with a tie ejector mechanism and may beused either to complete the separation from the track of a partly loosetie, or to initiate separation of a tie that is not loose but whichrequires replacement for another reason, such as damage ordeterioration. The tie removal mechanism is preferably positioned sothat the tie which it separates from the track will fall down onto thetie ejector mechanism for and either scraper blades (in the case of aplow) or underrunners and levelling blades (in the case of the sled).

One of the problems encountered in operating undertrack devices is thehandling of partially and wholly loose ties, that is to say ties fromwhich some or all of the rail spikes have become displaced or loosenedsufliciently to be no longer effective. Sometimes the spikes becomeineffectual at only one end of the tie; sometimes at both ends of thetie. 1

The picking up of such partly or wholly loose ties as the under-trackdevice proceeds along the track presents a problem, because, as therails are raised, a partly loose tie will hang down at one end and awholly loose tie will lie on the ballast or sub-grade detached from therails.

United States patent application Serial No. 749,740 of James W.Christofi, filed July 21, 1958, describes underdisplacement to the sideof the track. I

'The various other features of the invention will become apparent fromconsideration of the apparatus illustrated by way of example in theaccompanying drawings, and from the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a front elevation view of a tie ejector mechanism thatforms part of the present apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a section taken on the line II-II in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG- URES 1 and 2 showingthe same in position under a track and connected to an under-trackdevice of the ballast plow type;

FIGURE 4 is a view taken on the line IV-IV in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a view on a reduced scale taken on the line V-V in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view similar to the rear part of FIGURE 4, andtaken on the line VI-VI in FIGURE 5, demonstrating a first stage in theoperation of the tie ejector mechanism;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6, showing a later stage in theejection of a tie;

FIGURE 8 is' a further view similar to FIGURES 6 and7 showing a stilllater stage in such operation;

FIGURE 9 is a View on the line IX-IX in FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the addition of tieremoval mechanisms secured to the rear of the ballast plow;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary view of the tie removal mechanisms seen onthe line XI-XI in FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary plan View of a modified tie ejector mechanismand the rear portion of a ballast plow, showing a different manner ofcarrying the invention into practice; and

I base 10 having an upturned rim 11 extending around its 3 base the tieejector mechanism can slide along on the ballast or sub-grade of arailroad track. Mounted on the base 10 by means of legs 12 is the mainframe 13 of the tie ejector mechanism, this frame supporting a conveyorsystem consisting of an upper plate 14 through which at spaced intervalsproject the upper peripheral surfaces of rollers 15 that are mounted onthe frame 13 to turn freely. This plate 14 and the upper peripheries ofthe rollers 15 that project slightly thereabove serve to support anupper span of a conveyor belt 16 that extends in an endless loop alongthe top of the plate 14 and around a free running end roller 17 mountedon the frame 13, to return along the under side of the frame 13 onrollers 18 and to pass over idling rollers 19 and 20 and driven roller21 the latter being connected by chain 21a to a power plant 22, such asa small gasoline engine shown diagrammatically in FIGURES 1 and 2, suchpower plant 22 being mounted on the fixed frame 13.

The power plant 22 will include a suitable clutch whereby the roller 21may be driven at will to cause the belt 16 to travel in a continuousloop with its operative span moving from left to right as seen in FIGURE1, that is towards the end of the mechanism remote'from the power plant22 where no apparatus obscures the free discharge of ties from the belt16 beyond the equipment.

Pivotally secured to the frame 13 by means of brackets 23 are a pair oftowing arms 24. These arms 24 are shown in raised position in FIGURES 1and 2 to assist illustration, although they would in reality fall undertheir own weight to rest on the ground until connected to an under-trackdevice in the manner that will later be described. Each of the towingarms 24 has a hole 25 in its'free end for purposes of establishing thisconnection, and each arm 24 is shaped so as to have a first portion 26which, in the operative position shown in entire periphery, on which 7FIGURE 2, slopes gently downwardly from the hole 25 towards the belt 16,and a second break-away portion 27, lying between the first portion 26and the brackets 23 and sloping down towards the belt 16 more steeply.

" On the side of the tie ejector mechanism remote from the towing arms24 (i.e. the rear) there is mounted an upstanding plate 28 that extendsalong substantially the full operative length of the conveyor belt 16.As will appear better from the views of the mechanism in use, this plate28 serves to prevent ties moving beyond the belt 16 at the rear of themechanism. At the front of the mechanism flat plates 29 and 30 areprovided. These plates are supported on arms 31 and 32 from the frame 13and are arranged each at one end of the mechanism outwardly of an arm 24so as to lie generally horizontally in a plane slightly above that ofthe belt 16 and so as somewhat to overlie the front edge of the belt, asperhaps best appreciated from the view ofFIGURE 3. These plates 29 and30 serve to minimize the entry of small particles of ballast into themechanism.

The manner in which the tie ejector mechanism shown in FIGURES 1 and 2may be connected to an undertrack device is illustrated in FIGURES 3 and4 which show an under-track device 33 of the single track ballast plowtype. This plow 33 is similar to the plow shown in FIGURES 16-20 of saidprior application and comprises a main plate 34 of rigid steel, to theunderside of which there is secured a centrally located spine in theform of a downwardly projecting bar 35 extending rearwardly from thecentre of the front edge of the plate 34. Also secured to the undersideof the plate 34 to extend rearwardly and to each side of the plow 33from the spine 35 are curved steel moleboards 36, 37, 38 and 39. Asimilar pair of moleboards 40 and 41 extend rearwardly and to thelateral edges of the plow 33 from points situated at the front edge ofthe plate 34 and displaced respectively one to each side of the spine35. Each moleboard serves to mount a scraper blade, blades 42, 43 and44-being visible in FIGURE 4. Each scraper If desired, wheels or rollersblade is mounted on its supporting moleboard by means of a number ofbolt and nut assemblies which pass through holes in the blades and slotsin the moleboards to permit adjustment of relative position.

In addition, wing members 45, 46, 47 and 48 are fitted into slots 49,50, 51 and 52 at the lateral edges of the plow 33, such wings 4548forming outwardly projecting extensions of the respective blades.

Projecting forwardly from approximately the leading points on the plowat which the moleboards 40 and 41 commence, are beams 53 and 54, therespective lower flanges of which serve to define the leading underneathsurface of the plow. The beams 53 and 54 serve to support the leadingnose portions 55 and 56 of a pair of spaced-apart upper-runners 57 and58 which extend the full length of the plow from one end to the otherand, in operation, serve to support the under surfaces of the ties 60secured to rails 61.

Convention towing cars 62 and 63 are secured to the forward side edgesof the plate 34 of the plow 33, these ears serving to connect towingcables 64 and 65 to the plow. The plate 34 is provided with weep holes66 and one or more keel devices such as disclosed in said priorapplication will be used, although these are not visible in the presentdrawings. Further details of the structure of the plow and of itsoperation are fully described in said prior application, and will not berepeated fully here. Sufiice to say that the nose portions 55 and S6 liesu-fiiciently far forward of the remainder of the plow normally to pickup loose ties and cause these to be carried rearwardly relatively to theplow (in fact it is the plow that moves under the ties) along the upperrunners 57 and 58. The ballast 66 encountered on the track is deflectedto both sides of the track by the plow blades and finally by the wings4548, in the manner shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 3.

The towing arms 24 on the tie ejector mechanism are secured to therearmost ends of the upper runners 57 and 58 so as to define a directionof tow for such mechanism, this connection being established by means ofnut and bolt assemblies 67 that pass through the holes 25 in the towingarms 24 and through similar holes in the rear ends of runners 57 and 58.Thus, as the plow 33 is towed along by cables 64 and 65, the tie ejectormechanism follows behind'the plow beneath the section of elevated trackwith its base 10 sliding on the subgrade 68 or whatever ballast may beon the sub-grade. can be arranged on the underside of the base '10 butthese are not normally found necessary. The more elevated portion of thetie ejector mechanism represented by the power plant 22 is sufiicientlyto one side of the track to avoid any contact with the ends of the ties60.

Attention is now directed towards FIGURES 5-9 which illustrate theoperation of the tie ejector mechanism. FIGURE 6 shows a loose tie 60'that has been picked up by the nose portions 55 and 56 of the plow andconveyed on runners 57 and 58 along the top of the plow 33 by theforward movement of the latter, tie 60 being prevented from travellingwith the plow by the next adjacent tie 60".

As is shown by FIGURE 7, the tie 60' will fall down onto thecomparatively gently inclined portions 26 of the towing arms 24, as soonas it passes beyond the ends of the runners 57 and 58. Then, the plowand tie ejector mechanism continue to travel forwardly under the track,such tie 60 will encounter the sharply inclined portions 27 of thetowing arms 24 and will quickly fall away from its contact with theadjacent tie 60". Up until this time, it has been maintained in itsposition by the presence of the tie 60", but now it drops away undergravity and slides quickly onto the conveyor belt 16 which is travellingat high speed in the direction away from its power plant 22, asdemonstrated in FIGURE 9. In this position, the fixed tie 60" can passfreely over the tie 60' and thus permit the latter to have free passageout to the side of the track. The sharply sloping break away portions 27of the towing arms 24 are desirable at all times to prevent jamming butare especially important should there be two loose ties together on thetrack, because it will then be necessary for the first such tie to becleared from under the track rapidly before the second loose tie fallsdown onto the tie ejector mechanism. The shape of the towing arms 24encourages this effect, since the first tie falls quickly down theportions 27 onto the belt 16 while the next tie is still travellingcomparatively slowly along the gently sloping portions 26 of the arms24, this latter speed being determined by. the speed'of towing, whichmay vary anywhere from /2 a mile per hour for deep plowing to 2 milesper hour for sledding The towing arms 24 thus, in addition to definingthe towing means, also constitute guide means for directing a loose tieonto the upper span of the conveyor belt, although clearly, ifpreferred, these two functions'could be performed by separate means.Moreover, the sharply sloping portions 27 provide means for effectingrapid travel of the loose tie onto the conveyor belt over the latterpart of its movement. In this connection the term rapid travel meansrapid in relation to the speed of towing. The rate of towing determinesthe rate of travel of the tie relative to the under-track device (inreality the tie stays still, at least. in the horizontal direction, andthe under-track device moves).until these rapid travel or break-awayportionsare encountered. As stated above, this feature ensuresseparation of the ties sufficiently to enable the conveyor to dispose orsubstantially dispose of one tie before being called upon to handleanother.

The manner of obtaining-the rapid travel feature may not necessarily beby means of steep portions of guide bars, as in the specific embodimentdescribed above. Alternatively, mechanically powered devices may forcethe tie rearwardly onto'the conveyor belt once it has reached a certainpoint. For example, a rearwardly travelling, comparatively fast movingconveyor could engage the tie to accelerate the latter part of itstravel onto the main conveyor. There would then be no need to havedifferently inclined portions to the guide means.

FIGURE is a further plan view showing the plow 33 as before connected tothe tie ejector mechanism, but this 'view also illustrates tie removalmechanism 70 secured to each side of the rear of the plow 33 in positionto knock a tie down onto the belt 16 of the tie ejector mechanism, oronto the towing arms 24 thereof for subsequent travel onto the belt 16.These tie removal mechanisms 70 are employed to remove ties that havebecome detached from the rails at only one end, or which requirereplacement for some reason, such as excessive deterioration of thetimber, but still remain spiked to the rails.

Details of such a tie removal mechanism 70 are shown in FIGURE 11 whichdemonstrates the mounting of this mechanism on a hollow post 71 thatengages a short vertical stud 72- mounted on a projecting portion 73 atthe rear on each side of the plate 34 of the plow 33 (see FIGURE 3 for aview of the stud).

Each post 71 is free to pivot about its pin 72 unless locked in positonthereon by a bolt 74 which is only tightened when the device is to beinoperative, but is partially tightened when the device is operative inorder to take up any slack while permitting post 71 freedom to swivelabout its own longitudinal vertical axis. At the top of the post 71there is mounted a sleeve 75 that is fixed to the post in a required oneof a number of possible positions by means of bolts 76 that engage holes77. The sleeve 75 has secured to it a beam 78 on the remote end of whichthere is provided a pair of brackets 79 serving to mount anhydraulically operated doubleacting cylinder 80, fed through fluid lines81 and82 from a source of hydraulic pressure (not shown). The supply offluid is manually controllable by control valve 83. Cylinder has apiston 84 terminating in a hammer head 85 and the cylinder is such as tocause the piston 84 to oscillate continuously when actuated by valve83,. so as to strike a number of quick successive blows against the tie60 immediately below it. Very few such-blows will normally force the tieaway from its railfspikes and down on to the conveyor belt 16 of the tieejector mechanism. The freedom of the posts 71 to pivot about a verticalaxis and the freedom of the cylinder 80 to pivot about the-horizontalaxis defined by the brackets 79 enables the operator to place the hammerhead 85 against the end of 'a tie that 'is to be removed and to continueto maintain contact with the tie should thelatter be stubborn inbecoming disengaged from the rails and require continued action by thehammer head 85, travel of the apparatus continuing during thisoperation. The. operator will normally orient the hammer head 85 andoperate the' cylinder 80 while the tie in question is still above thetowing arms 24. See the broken line position in FIGURE 10. He can thenafford to take a little time to disengage the tie' before the conveyorbelt 16 will have passed beyond the area immediately below the tie.

Two modifications are shown as adopted simultane ouslyby theconstruction of FIGURES l2 and 13, although these modifications may beemployed individually. Firstly, the tie ejector mechanism has beensimplified. The conveyor belt 16 has been replaced by a series ofpower-driven rollers the peripheries of which include comparativelysharp, projecting splines 91 for gripping and propelling a tie depositedon the conveyor means which this series of rollers constitutes. At therear the rollers 90 are journalled in a trailing frame member 92 and attheir front ends they enter a housing 93 which contains a conventionalhydraulic motor and gearing connecting such motor to each of the rollers90 to drive them in the same direction and at the same speed as eachother. Power is supplied to the hydraulic motor through hose connection94 from a source of hydraulic pressure mounted on equipment (not shown)that travels along the track with the ballast plow. This tie ejectormechanism operates to convey a tie 95 to the side of the track inessentially the same manner as has already been described in connectionwith the form of tie ejector shown in FIGURES 1 to 11. If founddesirable a lower plate may be provided joining frame member 92 tohousing 93 beneath rollers 90.

The second modification illustrated in FIGURES 12 and 13 has to do withthe manner of towing the tie ejector mechanism and the manner oftransference of ties from the rear ends of runners 57 and 58 of the plow33 to the tie ejector mechanism. Towing is now accomplished by means ofcables 96 which extended to the housing 93 from points on the rear ofthe plow 33. Towing arms 24 have been dispensed with, and, in theirplace, the runners 57 and 58 have been provided with rearward extensions97 and 98 which terminate in sharply downwardly projecting tip portions99 and 100 which correspond in function to the break-away portions 27 oftowing arms 24, that is, they will provide a final portion of the tieguiding means constituted by extension 97 and 98 that will increase therate of travel of a tie towards the tie ejector conveyor. The advantagesof this manner of operation have already been'explained. The criterionfor the degree of downward inclination that it is necessary to impart tothe tip portions 99 and 100 is, of course, one of friction. The slopeshould be at least as great as the critical angle at which, havingregard to the coefiicients of friction of the ties and of the materialfrom which the tip, portions themselves are made, a tie will just fallunder its own weight along tip portions 99 and 100. The same criterionwill apply to determination of the slope of portions 27 of the arms 24.In practice it will usually be preferred to use an angle rather greaterthan the thoretical critical angle, in order to obtain certainty andspeed of operation.

This application is continuation-in-part of application Serial No.780,451 (now abandoned).

We claim:

1. Apparatus for use with a railroad ballast handling under-trackdevice, comprising a frame, towing means for coupling said frame to asaid under-track device to trail therefrom beneath an elevated sectionof track, said towing means defining a direction of tow, conveyor meansmounted to extend horizontally on said frame, power operated means indriving connection with said conveyormeans for moving a tie deposited onsaid conveyor means rapidly transversely of said direction of tow toconvey said tie to one side of said track, and guide means for directinga loose tie rearwardly from the rear of said under-track device to saidconveyor means, said guide means including means for increasing the rateof rearward travel relative to said device of said loose tie onto saidconveyor means at least over the latter'part of such travel.

2. Apparatus for use with a railroad ballast handling under-trackdevice, comprising a frame, towing means for coupling said'frame to asaid under-track device to trail therefrom beneath an elevated sectionof track, said towing means defining a direction of tow, conveyor meansmounted to extend horizontally on said frame, power operated means indriving connection with said conveyor means for moving a tie depositedon saidv conveyor means rapidly transversely of said direction of tow toconvey said tie to one side of said track, and guide means for directinga loose tie rearwardly from the rear of said undertrack device to saidconveyor means, said guide means comprising at least one inclinedsurface extending downwardly and rearwardly from the rear of saidunder-track device to said conveyor means, said surface including asteeply downwardly inclined portion adjacent said conveyor means forincreasing the rate of rearward travel relative to said device of saidloose tie onto said conveyor means over the latter part of such travel.

3. The combination of an under-track device and a tie ejector mechanism,said under-track device comprising a framework having upper runnersmounted on its upper surface and beingconstructed and arranged fordrawing along between the roadbed and the ties under a railroad trackwhile supporting an elevated section of said track on said upperrunners, said tie ejector. mechanism comprising a frame, towing meansextending between said frame and said under-track device to couple thesame thereto to trail therefrom beneath said elevated section of track,conveyor means mounted to extend horizontally on said frame, poweroperated means in driving connection with said conveyor means for movinga tie deposited on said conveyor means rapidly transversely of saidtrack to convey said tie to one side of said track, and said combinationincluding guide means for directing a loose tie rearwardly from the rearof said under-track device to said conveyor means, said guide meansincluding means for increasing the rate of rearward travel relative tosaid device of said loose tie onto said conveyor means at least over thelatter part of such travel.

4. The combination of an under-track device and a tie ejector mechanism,said under-track device comprising a framework having upper runnersmounted on its upper surface and being constructed and arranged fordrawing along between the roadbed and the ties under a railroad trackwhile supporting an elevated section of said track on saidupper'runners, said tie ejector mechanism comprising a frame, towingmeans extending between said frame and said under-track device to couplethe same thereto to trail therefrom beneath said elevated section oftrack, conveyor means mounted to extend horizontally on said frame,power operated means in driving connection with said conveyor means formoving a tie deposited on said conveyor means rapidly transversely ofsaid track to convey said tie to one side of said track, and saidcombination including guide means for directing a loose tie rearwardlyfrom the rear of said under-track device to said conveyor means, saidguide means comprising at least one inclined surface extendingdownwardly and rearwardly from the rear of said under-track device tosaid conveyor means, said surface including a steeplydownwardly-inclined portion adjacent said conveyor means for increasingthe rate of rearward travel relative to said device of said loose tieonto said conveyor means over the latter part of such travel.

5. The combination of claim 3, further including a power operated hammerand means mounting said hammer to travel with said under-track device inposition to strike a fixed tie of said elevated section of track abovethe area occupied by said tie ejector mechanism and said guide means todisengage said tie from said elevated section, said hammer mountingmeans mounting said hammer with a limited freedom of horizontal movementrelative to said device whereby, as the device travels relative to thetrack, the hammer may be aligned in striking position with a given tiefor a longer period than would be possible if said hammer were fixedlymounted on said device.

6. The combination of an under-track device and a tie ejector mechanism;said under-track device comprising a framework having upper runnersmounted on its upper surface, depending ballast handling means, andforwardly projecting nose portions, and being constructed and arrangedfor drawing along between the roadbed and the ties under a railroadtrack while supporting an elevated section of saidrtrack on said upperrunners, said nose portion being constmcted for picking up a loose tieencountered on said track and for delivering said tie to said upperrunners to be carried rearwardly on said upper runners by forwardmovement of said under-track device and the abutment of said tie againstan adjacent fixed tie; said tie ejector mechanism comprising a frame,towing means extending between said frame and said under-track device tocouple the same thereto to trail therefrom beneath said elevated sectionof track, conveyor means mounted to extend horizontally on said frame,power operated means in driving connection with said conveyor means formoving a tie deposited on said conveyor means rapidly transversely ofsaid track to convey said tie to one side of said track, and saidcombination including guide means for directing a loose tie rearwardlyfrom the rear of said under-track.device to said conveyor means, saidguide means including means for increasing the rate of rearward travelrelative to said device of said loose tie onto said conveyor means atleast over the latter part of such travel.

7.- {The combination of an under-track device and a tie ejectormechanism; saidfiunder-track device comprising a framework having upperrunners mounted on its upper surface, depending ballast-handling means,and forwardly projecting nose portions, and being constructed andarranged for drawingalong' between the roadbed and the ties under arailroad track while supporting an elevated section of said track onsaid upper runners, said nose portion being constructed for picking up aloose tie encountered onsaid track andfor deliveringjsaid tie to saidupper runners tov becarried rearwardly. on said upper runners by forwardmovement of said under-track device and the abutment of. said tieagainst an adjacent fixed tie; said tie ejector mechanism comprising aframe, towing means extending between saidframe and said under-trackdevice to couple the same thereto to trail therefrom beneath saidelevated section of track, conveyor means mounted to extend horizontallyon said frame, power operated means in driving connection with saidconveyor means for moving a tie deposited on said conveyor means rapidlytransversely of said track to convey said tie to one side Of Said track,and said combination including guide 9 means for directing a loose tierearwardly from the rear of said under-track device to said conveyormeans, said guide means comprising at least one inclined surfaceextending downwardly and rearwardly from the rear of said under-trackdevice to said conveyor means, said surface including a steeplydownwardly inclined portion adjacent said conveyor means for increasingthe rate of rearward travel relative to said device of said loose tieonto said conveyor means over the latter part of such travel.

8. The combination of claim 6, further including a power operated hammerand means mounting said hammer to travel with said under-track device inposition to strike a fixed tie of said elevated section of track abovethe area occupied by said tie ejector mechanism and said guide means todisengage said tie from said elevated section, said hammer mountingmeans mounting said hammer with a limited freedom of horizontal movementrelative to said device whereby, as the device travels relative to thetrack, the hammer may be aligned in striking position with a given tiefor a longer period than would be possible if said hammer were fixedlymounted on said device.

9. An under-track device comprising a framework having downwardlyprojecting blade members and upper runners mounted on its upper surface,said device being constructed and arranged for drawing along between theroadbed and the ties under a railroad track while supporting an elevatedsection of said track on said upper runners and while said blade memberscarry out a ballast handling operation, said upper runners havingextensions projecting rearwardly beyond the rearmost portions of saidblade members to support and convey a loose tie above and rearwardlybeyond said blade members, said extensions terminating in tip portionseach downwardly inclined at an angle at least as great as the criticalangle at which a tie placed on said portions will fall under its ownweight.

10. An under-track device according to claim 9, further including apower operated hammer and means mounting said hammer on said undertrackdevice to travel therewith in position to strike a tie of said elevatedsection of track above the area occuplied by said extensions todisengage said tie from said elevated section to fall onto saidextensions, said hammer mounting means mounting said hammer with alimited freedom of horizontal movement relative to said device whereby,as the device travels relative to the track, the hammer may be alignedin striking position with a given tie for a longer period than would bepossible if said hammer were fixedly mounted on said device.

11. In the art of performing a ballasting operation on a section ofrailroad track by towing along the roadbed of said section anunder-track ballast handling device of the type constructed to passbeneath the ties while resting on said roadbed, said device elevating aspan of said track with a forward portion of said elevated spanimmediately in advance of said device sloping upwardly thereto from theunworked roadbed and a rearward portion of said elevated spanimmediately in the rear of said device sloping downwardly away therefromtowards the worked roadbed, the step of removing a loose tie from saidtrack comprising causing said tie to travel relatively to saidunder-track device with the remainder of said track over the top of saiddevice and subsequently rearwardly and downwardly from the rear of saiddevice onto transversely travelling conveyor means for conveying saidtie to a side of the track, and increasing the rate of rearward travelrelative to said device of said tie onto said conveyor means at leastover the latter part of such travel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,313,353 Tobin Aug. 19, 1919 2,737,901 Droward et a1 Mar. 13, 19562,769,172 Franco Oct. 30, 1956 2,828,699 Fox Apr. 1, 1958 2,908,228Kershaw Oct. 13, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,122,989 France Mar. 28, 1956

